Africville Heritage Trust (“AHT”) Society
Scholarship Awards Program
Program Outline
The AHT Scholarship Program (the “Scholarship Awards Program”) was established in 2013 by the AHT and Waterbury Newton (wnns.ca), the law firm that represented the Africville Genealogy Society and many former Africville residents in an action against the former City of Halifax.
The fund will provide up to five (5) individual scholarships totaling $5,000 annually to students in any field of post-secondary study at an accredited Canadian post-secondary institution.The Scholarship Program will be administered by the Scholarship Committee, which will consist of:
- The Executive Director of the AHT;
- One Board member of the AHT;
- One representative selected by Waterbury Newton;
- Two community members who do not sit on the Board of Directors of either the AHT or the Africville Genealogy Society.
Eligibility
To be considered for the Scholarship Program, the applicant must be (Mandatory Criteria):
- a Canadian citizen;
- a former Africville resident or a descendant of a former Africville resident. The Scholarship Committee may also consider applications from applicants who do not meet this requirement, but have through their educational pursuits, demonstrated an effort to further the purpose of the AHT (to keep alive the memory and spirit of the community of Africville through interpretation, education and dialogue), through community advocacy initiatives, research, publications, and training;
- a graduating high school student or mature student entering a Canadian accredited post-secondary institution, or a student currently attending a Canadian accredited post-secondary institution, provided the student is returning to school the following year; and
- is not an employee (unless the employee is a student completing a summer term, work-term, internship, or similar term position), or a board member of the AHT, or an immediate family member of a member of the Scholarship Committee.
Applicants will also be evaluated on the following additional criteria:
- participation in extra-curricular school and community activities;
- honours or awards received or other community recognition;
- work experience;
- goals and aspirations;
- academic achievement;
- unique personal or family circumstances, such as financial need; and
- references.
Scholarship Categories
High School Scholarship
Available to students who will graduate from high school with an average of not less than 75% overall, and are entering their first year of post-secondary studies.
College/University Scholarship
Available to students who are currently enrolled in and/or returning to a college, undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate field of study at a Canadian accredited post-secondary institution. The student must demonstrate academic achievement in their previous and/or current field of study of not less than 75%.
Mature Student Scholarship
Available to applicants who have not pursued secondary or post-secondary studies in the five years preceding their application.
Application
Applications and supporting materials must be sent to the Scholarship Committee and postmarked no later than midnight on June 30th, 2023. Subject to the receipt of final transcripts, incomplete applications will not be evaluated. All applications received by the AHT are considered private and confidential and will be reviewed only by AHT employees and Scholarship Committee.
Applicants will be evaluated only on the information submitted. Therefore, applicants should endeavor to answer all questions as completely as possible in the scholarship application, and address all of the criteria outlined above. Applicants must complete the scholarship application and provide the following documentation supporting their eligibility:
- complete the scholarship application
- copy of birth certificate or other documentation supporting their Canadian citizenship;
- documentation supporting their former residency in or direct lineage to the community of Africville (i.e. parent, grandparent, great-grandparent);
- names and contact information for three arm’s length references;
- proof of acceptance or enrollment in a Canadian accredited post-secondary institution and the criteria that you must meet to earn a diploma/degree in your program of study;
- personal statement addressing the topics outlined in Section C of the application; and
- official transcripts for the current or most recently completed field of study, as well as previous secondary and post-secondary studies. Transcripts must contain the applicant’s name, school, name of courses taken, grades earned for each course, and the period in which each course was taken. For students who cannot provide final transcripts until the completion of their current year of studies, they must provide an official transcript with their application and an updated transcript immediately upon completion of the current year of studies.
Applicants may also provide additional materials, such as resumés, certificates, letters of reference, written works, and other related materials.
Selection of Recipients
The Scholarship Committee will carefully review all complete applications submitted by the deadline, and will select the most deserving recipients based on the criteria set out above. As long as the chosen recipients meet the mandatory criteria, the decisions of the Scholarship Committee are final and are not subject to review.
Applicants may be requested to meet with the Scholarship Committee for an interview to confirm their eligibility and qualifications for the Scholarship Award.
Scholarships may be awarded conditionally, subject to the Scholarship Committee’s receipt of a student’s final transcript. The Scholarship committee may revoke a conditional award if either the final transcript is not received within a reasonable time after completion of the term of studies, or if the final transcript reveals that the applicant no longer meets the eligibility criteria.
Once the successful recipients have been identified, the AHT will notify recipients and unsuccessful applicants in writing by no later than July 31. Scholarship funds will be disbursed on or before August 31 of each year. A cheque will be made payable and mailed to the post-secondary institution that each recipient will be attending, to be applied to the recipient’s tuition or other related educational expenses.
The AHT reserves the right to publish names and photos of the recipients in newsletters, news releases and websites as it deems appropriate to recognize the recipients and the Scholarship Program.
To Apply
Applications or questions regarding the Scholarship Program should be directed to:
Africville Heritage Trust Society
c/o Scholarship Selection Committee
5795 Africville Road
PO Box 46053, RPO Novalea
Halifax, NS B3K 5V8
Tel: (902) 422-1116
Email: projectafricvillemuseum@gmail.com
Authority
The AHT Board of Directors reserves the right to review the criteria and procedures of the Scholarship Program and to make changes at any time. However, as long as the Scholarship Committee makes its decisions within the parameters of this Program Outline, the decisions of Scholarship Committee are final and are not subject to review or appeal.
The Scholarship Committee reserves the right not to award scholarships in any given year, but may award up to five scholarships in any of the three categories provided above. The number of scholarships awarded each year will depend upon funding and the eligibility of applicants. There is no limit on the number of scholarships an eligible student may receive.